EHVC-Equine Ask the Vet

If you've been around horses for any length of time you have likely come up with a long list of questions ranging from nutritional to medical care concerns for your horse. This section was created to help answer some of those common veterinary questions relating to medical conditions, diseases, parasites, behavioral issues and more that we receive.

Please browse through our archives for answers to your equine-related questions. Should you not see the answer to your question, feel free to email us at info@EHVCEquine.com. While we cannot respond to each question that we receive, each month our staff will pick two topics for our veterinarians to answer.

Current 'Ask the Vet' Questions

Q: My horse has bad breath, what could cause this?

A: Bad breath can occur from a bacterial infection in the horse's mouth or nose. Infections can occur from periodontal disease, dental pathology, and tooth abscesses. Your horse should be seen by a veterinarian to determine the problem and to develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Q: My horse hasn't been floated in 2 years but my veterinarian said her teeth are fine, could this be the case?

A: Some horses don't have to be floated yearly, however at a minimum they should have a thorough exam done yearly. Older horses often don't need to be floated as much if they have had regular dental care in their younger years. It is important to be sure that your veterinarian did a full mouth examination with a speculum as the veterinarian cannot determine if a horse is due for a float by a quick feel of the first few upper cheek teeth with their fingers. Often times if the horse has no detectable sharp with this quick exam, a speculum must be used to check the lower cheek teeth and caudal teeth in case those teeth are sharp.

'Ask the Vet' Archives

Please check back here as we add our 'Ask the Vet' archives to our site. Thank you for your patience!